Aftermarket grips for Ruger Bisley????

I'm talking about something like the pachmayr grips, not just the same contour hard grips in a different material than the factory grips.

I just bought a super blackhawk hunter, bisley version 44 mag and would like to put a more comfortable grip on it. I used to have a regular blued Bisley years ago and always had trouble with the grip but back then nobody made a grip for it that I could find (pre internet). I just went to the Pachmayr site and the still do not list a grip for the Bisley.

So.... Any suggestions? Any other companies that make a similar type of aftermarket grip?

Thanks,

Dave

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ClemY

January 18, 2011, 10:27 AM

The factory grips on my Bisley were painful to shoot. The knuckle of my second finger was getting beaten by the trigger guard. I found that Eagle Gunfighter grips, which are slightly thinner, rotated my hand enough for the trigger guard to not smack it. It is now much more comfortable to shoot, even with hotter loads.

Many other companies make grips for the Bisley, but I haven't seen anything like the Pachmayr grips for it.

CraigC

January 18, 2011, 12:29 PM

Firstly, the factory grips are horrendous. They are thick where they should be thin, thin where they should be thick and squared off where they should be rounded. Secondly, it is a myth that you need an oversized rubber grip to shoot comfortably. You need a grip that is well fitted to both sixgun and shooter. It may take a little trial and error to find what works for you. I always read that thinner grips were better and so it took me a set of uncomfortable $200 custom stocks to learn that it didn't hold true for me. I need them thicker than factory at the top, with very little taper towards the bottom, nicely rounded with flat bottoms. My suggestion would be to try the cheapest set of Hogue cowboy grips you can find. These are much thicker at the top and nicely rounded. For me, and I don't have huge hands, they are imminently more comfortable than factories. Nowadays, all my Ruger grips come from CLC. Cary is a pleasure to deal with, his grips are very well made of beautiful materials and very well fitted. They are perfectly shaped. His turnaround is also very short as well. You will need to send him your grip frame for fitment. I prefer flat bottoms on Bisley grips. They will cost you $150-$200 for a set but they will be the last pair of grips you'll ever buy......for that particular sixgun. Here's a set in macassar ebony on Dad's Bisley Hunter.

Craig, those grips on your Dad's Bisley are beautiful! Are you sure about the wood type though? I thought I knew my tropical woods pretty well but that doesn't look like Macassar Ebony to me. The M.E. I'm used to seeing is usually black/grey with grey streaks in it. Those look more like rosewood or Mexican ironwood. Either way, VERY nice.

However, I'm not certain about staying with a slick, hard grip regardless of the shape. I find it interesting that you both mentioned thinner grips being better and one of you found it to be true and the other did not. I'd hate to spend $200 on custom grips and then not like them.

Also, any pictures of before and after? Especially from the rear to show thickness differences since that seems to be the primary factor in feel.

Thanks again,

Dave

CraigC

January 19, 2011, 12:50 PM

Thanks! It's macassar ebony, you may be thinking of gaboon ebony, which tends to be all black.

No pics, though I wish I did have some showing the difference in thickness. That's why I suggested getting the cheapest set of Hogue cowboy grips you can find. Because they're much thicker than factories but also nicely rounded. Do some side by side comparisons at the range and that will clue you in as to whether or not you may want them thick or thin.

I may try to get some pics together showing several guns with different grips. Just to give you an idea.

Hard and smooth is good. Fitment is the most important thing. Folks 'think' they need a soft, sticky rubber grip for comfortable shooting but it is a myth. Rubber grips that do not cover the backstrap won't cushion anything. Soft rubber will grab your hide and abrade it. Smooth wood, ivory or micarta will move in your hand but shouldn't slide around like a bar of soap. What's important is the proper thickness for evenly distributing recoil forces into your hand, while still allowing proper trigger reach. They should also be rounded where the middle finger rests. This is where the factory grips lack the most. They tend to be squared off there and really pound the middle finger with that sharp edge.

This may ruffle some feathers but I think most shooters who think they prefer rubber grips do so because they've never tried proper fitting custom grips. This is for a few reasons.

1. Because 99% of factory wood grips are atrocious.

2. Rubbers are less than $20 and readily available.

3. They 'think' that soft rubber will cushion recoil.

4. Proper custom grips are $150 to $300 or more and you have to wait for weeks to months or even years to get them.

So most simply opt for the cheap rubbers and really don't know what they're missing. IMHO, rubber grips enjoy their popularity because they're cheap and widely available, not because they're actually better.

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